Thursday is the day things will slow down between Redding and Millville. Caltrans has permanently reduced the speed limit to 55 miles an hour on Highway 44 from just east of Airport Road where the divided highway ends all the way to Shingletown. It had previously been 65 miles an hour as far as Millville Plains Road. Traffic studies have shown that collision rates in the 65 mile an hour zone were in line with state averages for similar highways. However, the collision rate east of Millville where it was already a 55 zone was less than half the statewide average. The most problematic place was at Silver Bridge Road, where poor visibility from the stop signs caused too many broadside collisions.
-Steve Gibson